A plea to my fellow Democrats...Let's drop "liberal" already.

[ProgressAlwaysWins]

Hello everyone, my name is ProgressAlwaysWins and I am a newly registered member of DU. I hope that all of you celebrating various holidays this month are enjoying them greatly, and I look forward to getting to know you all.

I would like to bring something to all of your attention. I believe that it is about time that we, as Democrats, drop the word "liberal" from our vocabulary. I think it is an outmoded word and does us more harm than good.

The word "liberal" is the word that Republicans use to mock us. Yes, I am aware that the word has positive origins, and used to have a definite meaning in the political sphere. However, I think those days are long gone, and have probably not existed since the pre-Reagan days. The right-wingers say "liberal" in much the same tone of voice as one would use to say the word "asshole". It's been their pet insult since Reagan was president, and they spit it out like snake venom at anyone who opposes their agenda. "You're with us, or you're a liberal." "Goddamn lousy no-good liberals." And I, for one, am sick of hearing it.

I have never been comfortable being called a "liberal", even in the Clinton years when the Democrats were in power. I have never liked the way the word sounds, and I think it has some very negative connotations. "Liberal" implies being soft. Soft on crime, soft on terrorism, soft on a lot of things. That's the image they have of us Democrats. Being soft and lacking balls. And that's the image of us they've portrayed to mainstream Americans, who have largely bought into it. Liberals are pansies and want to let all the kooks and terrorists of the world victimize us. It's time we stop projecting that image and start using a stronger word.

Honestly, I think Democrats who go proudly calling themselves "liberals" are shooting themselves in the foot. The word has been associated with so much negative crap that to use it is painting a giant bulls-eye on your back. You are NEVER going to be taken seriously saying "I'm a liberal". It's time we realize that fact. Getting back to the "asshole" comparison, would you go around proudly stating to the world "I'm an asshole?" I don't know anybody who does that.

People like Coulter and Limbaugh like to go around making inflammatory statements about "liberals". Liberals love terrorists, liberals want to ban the Bible, liberals are cowards, liberals will force everyone into a homosexual marriage, liberals this, liberals that, liberals liberals liberals, la la la la la. I've gotten sick of hearing the word just from the likes of them. Most Democrats, when they hear those statements, say "Hey! That's not true. We liberals are NOT like that!"

You know what I say?

"Yeah well, whatever. I'm not a liberal. I'm a Democrat".

Or "I'm a progressive".

Let them have the word all to themselves. If we stop using the word for ourselves, the Republicans will be reduced to ranting about imaginary boogeymen. They can go on and on about how liberals want to outlaw religion and elect Osama bin Laden president, and it'll be just fine, because they're won't actually be any liberals left. Just progressives. And people will stop taking them seriously if they're ranting about a group of people who don't exist anymore.

Face it, they've turned the word "liberal" into a swear word, and there's no taking it back at this point. "Liberal" to a Democrat is like "nigger" to a black man. There are plenty of other words we can be using. Let's SEE them turn "progressive" into a negative-sounding word. Let's see them TRY to do that. There's no way they can. It's too nice of a word.

I'm pleading with the lot of you to hear me out here. I am SICK of hearing that harpy Coulter and that crackhead Limbaugh rant about "liberals are this, liberals are that". I am SICK of Republicans who think I'm an asshole calling me a liberal (and while I'm at it, today's Republicans aren't exactly "conservative" either, so we should probably let that one go too).

But, most of all, I am sick of seeing my fellow Democrats, well-meaning people, shooting themself in the foot by calling themselves "liberals", and wearing it like a badge of honor. It's not going to get you anywhere, I'm sorry to tell you. Please, let's retire this ugly and tarnished word, and find some better ones to use.

I look forward to my future interactions with you all on DU. I am a proud Democrat. I am a proud progressive. I am a proud blue-stater.

But I am not, and will never be, a "liberal".

Who's with me?